Picking the Healthiest Takeout Pizza: What Factors Matter?
Mmmmm….pizza! Who does not love pizza? The warm doughy crust, tangy sauce and gooey cheese. Can we say delish! Pizza is a usual fan favorite. It is that go to food that you order when you have not cooked dinner, when you are on the run or on a low budget. For fifteen dollars you can feed a family of four. Even though pizza is all of those great things we still need to be conscious of the kinds of pizza that we order. If we get carried away with the toppings and extra cheese we can find ourselves eating a three hundred to four hundred calorie slice of pizza. Make note of the healthiest take out pizza in your area.
Ordering Out
It can be very easy to go with the meat lovers pizza, add the extra cheese, and at some places order a dipping sauce to dip your crust. All of these extras add a significant amount of calories to your slice. When ordering pizza you can make some small changes to your selection in order to save some calories.
- Order veggie toppings like broccoli, mushrooms, onions or peppers instead of meat toppings to cut back the calories and increase the fiber content of your slice
- Go with the thin crust instead of deep dish
- If available order a wheat crust instead of a white crust to get in some extra whole grains
- To shave off some extra calories use a napkin and dab off the grease
- Go with red sauce instead of white sauce
Healthiest Take Out Pizza
Some chain restaurants like Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and Dominos have become more health conscious and have started to offer healthier pizzas. Papa Johns provides the nutrition information for all of their pizzas on their website. You can always look on the Internet for your healthiest pizza before placing your order.
- Papa Johns Garden Fresh, 200 calories per medium slice, 7 grams fat, 27 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein
Pizza Hut has two different types of pizza which are a little lighter in calories than your normal deep dish pizza. Pizza Hut also has all of their nutrition information listed on their website.
- Pizza Hut Thin ’n Crispy, average medium slice, 200 calories, 10 grams fat, 23 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams protein
- Pizza Hut Fit ’n Delicious, average medium slice, 160 calories, 4 grams fat, 23 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein
Domino’s already has a lighter options section on their website that gives you the nutrition information for some of their “lighter” choices. They also have a cal-o-meter on their website where you can create your own pizza and see the calories and nutrition information before placing your order.
- Domino’s Grilled Chicken and Veggie pizza, 1 medium slice, 200 calories, 7 grams fat
Message from the Registered Dietitian
Everything in moderation is appropriate. If you want to have pizza for lunch or dinner go ahead and enjoy a slice, but be aware of the calories and fat content of what you are eating. You can find the healthiest take out pizza in your area if you look for it. Be conscious of your options and make the right choice.
References
Dominos Pizza www.dominos.com
Pizza Hut Pizza www.pizzahut.com
Papa Johns Pizza www.papajohns.com
Wardlaw, G.M. Perspectives in Nutrition. Fourth Edition. 1999